Silent protest planned for Jobs-less keynote

There's a lot going on during your average Macworld keynote, with writers busily typing away, photographers covertly snapping pictures, and Apple fans doing of a bit of cheering. The upcoming Macworld 2009 keynote may have a bit of a different feel, though, especially if Mac user Lesa Snider King has her way and convinces enough other attendees to join her in a silent keynote protest.

Apple's announcements related to this year's keynote and the company's withdrawal from the conference have sparked a lot of discussion, but to my knowledge this is the first time in a while that an Apple announcement has also led to a protest. According to King, Apple's decision to forgo Macworld beginning in 2010 sends a message that the company doesn't really care about the users and groups who support it. As a result, King would like keynote attendees to voice their displeasure at Apple's decision by remaining completely silent during the keynote.

On one hand, an eerily silent keynote would certainly make a statement, but on the other hand Phil Schiller may not be able to get much of a reaction out of the crowd anyway (zing!). Honestly, though, I doubt King's wish for a completely silent room will come to pass. Some members of the Mac community may stay quiet, but many other audience members will be too busy working to worry about a protest, or won't want to protest in an obvious fashion. I'm sure Jacqui will make it a point to give us a sense of the noise level in the room this year during her live reporting of the Keynote.